Is your business or brand being acknowledged on the most relevant online review sites? Let’s take a look and discover how to obtain more reviews. It always feels great when you read wonderful customer feedback about your business. The feeling of getting five stars is inexplicable but these positive assessments are essential for much greater reasons than just ego boosting.
Studies have indicated that customers typically rely significantly on online reviews when making purchasing decisions.
So much so that in fact, many of them trust such reviews as if they were suggestions from friends. You can be certain then; these evaluations can make or break your business!
With the sheer size of the internet, it can be difficult to ensure that you’re taking advantage of all customer reviews. Fortunately, there are certain strategies and techniques that can help maximize your efforts in this area.
By concentrating on the review sites that are most meaningful to potential customers, you can get great results in a very short time.
Let us take a look at those online review sites that can do wonders for attracting more customers in 2023.
Which Review Sites Have the Largest Reach?
There are three top dogs when it comes to online review platforms.
First, we have the big old G. Google has a dedicated product for businesses to promote themselves – Google My Business.
As an undisputed leader in the online industry, Google My Business provides a plethora of benefits to millions of users. Not only can you find contact information and operating hours for businesses with ease, but also review business hours which comes in handy as well! With its one-stop-shop capabilities, it’s no wonder why so many people turn to Google first when searching for something on the web.
Google reviews are essential for boosting a business’s reputation and providing potential customers with the confidence to purchase. Google is well-known for being the top search engine, so it goes without saying that businesses are continually competing for better rankings on its platform. Fortunately, reviews can be beneficial in improving those positions; plus they’re effortless to find by searchers!
Then we have the king of social media.
Facebook is a powerful tool that allows users to keep in touch with friends and family, as well as follow their favorite businesses and brands. Business profiles on Facebook are incredibly important for companies of all sizes, allowing customers the opportunity to provide feedback through reviews depending on their experiences with the company. In fact, these reviews can be highly influential when it comes to creating or maintaining an engaged customer base!
Yelp
Then we have one of the most trusted customer-centric platforms for reviewing local businesses.
Yelp is a powerful tool for local businesses – its website and app not only post reviews from Yelp reviewers, but it also provides essential insights into business performance. Through Yelp’s training program, small companies get guidance on how to address negative feedback, as well as health inspection scores. Furthermore, Yelpers can attend social events hosted by the company to review or engage with others in their local community.
For many years, Yelp was the go-to review site for customers. Though its popularity has decreased over time, it remains a considerable player in this domain and should not be overlooked.
How Big are these Review Sites?
Although not all of the most popular review sites advertise their visitor statistics, we still have access to a wealth of data regarding those who use them.
- Yelp is an unrivaled force in the online marketplace, with over 178 million unique visitors each month across all platforms and a whopping 28 million new users on its app every month. Additionally, Yelp boasts a staggering 224 million reviews since being founded in 2004 – that’s right up until 2020!
- Facebook had an incredible 2.89 billion monthly active users in the second quarter of 2021 – a whopping one-third of the world’s population! With so many people utilizing Facebook, reviews posted on this platform are seen by countless individuals. That is a remarkable amount of attention and visibility for your business or product if you’re able to utilize it correctly.
- Despite the fact that Google does not share information about the number of reviews posted, it is important to consider two points. First, anyone with access to Google can view a business’ reviews on their page. Second and more importantly, data suggests that almost everyone in your customer base has access to Google – an estimated 270 million unique visitors from just the United States alone visited in October 2020! This reinforces how vital it is for businesses nowadays to ensure they are receiving positive feedback through online review platforms such as Google.
What about Reviewers?
A survey recently revealed insights on the “big three” review sites (Google, Facebook and Yelp) that offer a deep understanding of their ranking against one another – even more so than what is available through their user stats.
Here’s what you need to know:
- In a recent survey, an impressive 63% of participants reported writing Google reviews within the past year.
- In the past year, the survey results revealed that an impressive 54% of people had posted Facebook reviews.
- An impressive 32% of those surveyed had submitted Yelp reviews over the past year!
As the digital marketplace continues to grow, so do consumer reviews of businesses and products. Google and Facebook have become increasingly popular avenues for posting reviews, yet Yelp remains an incredibly influential platform – as its user base is strong and steadily growing.
What Review Sites to Focus on?
Businesses must realize that online reviews are not entirely out of their control; instead, they can take steps to ensure positive customer feedback is featured prominently.
But beware though.
That does not mean you rely on paid reviews. It’s a must to avoid purchasing online reviews or attempting to coax your customers into writing deceitful feedback about their experiences. Doing so will only hurt your business and reputation in the long run.
You have the ability to influence where your customers post their reviews, so it’s essential to put emphasis on the sites that will have the greatest impact on your business.
For the majority of businesses, it is essential to monitor their ratings on the big three review websites. However, many organizations neglect niche review sites within their industry that may provide added value and customer insight. Examples of such platforms could include:
- For lawyers and attorneys: Avvo, Lawyers.com
- For Medical practitioners: Healthgrades, ZocDoc
- For restaurants: Zomato, TripAdvisor
- For service providers (contractors, cleaners): Angi (formerly AngiesList), HomeAdvisor
Remember: when it comes to reviewing sites, sometimes less is more.
Suppose if 15 customers offered compliments about your service in one month, wouldn’t you prefer to have a few reviews published across numerous websites or five to six on the most favored sites?
If you want your reviews to be seen in the right places, it’s advisable that you focus on no more than five review sites. This ensures that you are able to get quality results and maximize the visibility of your business online.
Don’t compromise the strength of your reviews by dispersing them in too many places. For ultimate success, focus on obtaining a constant flow of favorable feedback from key online review sites that are special to your organization. This is an ideal way to improve and preserve your business’s reputation!
How to Select the Best Online Review Sites
If you’re looking to find the most suitable online review site for your business, here are a few tips that can help guide you:
Go for Mainstream Review Sites
Adhering to the set of standards from standard review websites is beneficial for your business and only logical. By selecting mainstream review sites with reasonable guidelines on customer feedback, you can ensure that your company will benefit in the long run.
Find out where your Visitors are
When deciding which sites to invest time in, assessing how familiar your target audience is with them should be a top priority. A recent survey showed that an astonishing 66% of customers don’t trust internet review sites they’re unfamiliar with. Therefore, attempting to create an online presence on platforms unexplored by potential buyers and clients would likely prove fruitless.
Concentrate your energy on the most advantageous websites, such as Google, Facebook, and Yelp. Research indicates that 87% of smartphone owners own at least one of these apps with preloaded login information – making it simpler for people to give a review. Investing into this will prove beneficial in the long run!
Go for User-Friendly Review Sites
Customers are often hesitant to explore an unfamiliar review platform and try to understand its operation. Therefore, you need to direct them toward sites that make the entire process of leaving a review as effortless as possible. Although writing a review is relatively straightforward, it’s essential for the site’s user experience to be smooth, clear, and easy to use – some small and specialty ones can have quite cumbersome navigation or unreliable performance which could potentially reduce customer satisfaction.
Picture yourself as a consumer when picking the review websites that are most ideal for your promotional strategy. Investigate if the website makes it unproblematic to construct and post an evaluation.
What to Do Next After Finding the Right Review Sites?
Narrowing down the most important review sites for your company is a great first step; now you need to make sure that customers are providing feedback on those platforms. A simple request from you can often be successful in getting them to leave reviews, but this approach isn’t foolproof. Customers may forget about their reviews or it might slip your mind to ask – after all, everyone has a busy life!
For that, you will need to invest in an automated review system that can help send reminders to customers to review their experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some popular online review sites for finding customers?
Some popular online review sites for finding customers include Yelp, Google My Business, TripAdvisor, Angie’s List, Better Business Bureau (BBB), and Glassdoor.
How can I get my business listed on online review sites?
To get your business listed on online review sites, you will need to create a business profile on each site and provide your business’s name, address, phone number, and other relevant information. Some sites may also require proof of business ownership or a business license.
How can I get more positive reviews on online review sites?
To get more positive reviews on online review sites, you can focus on providing excellent customer service, asking your customers to leave a review, and responding to any negative reviews in a professional and helpful manner.
Can I remove negative reviews from online review sites?
It depends on the review site’s policy. Some sites may allow businesses to flag or dispute a review if it violates their terms of service, but other sites may not.
How can I respond to negative reviews on online review sites?
When responding to negative reviews on online review sites, it’s important to stay professional and apologize for any issues the customer experiences. Offer to make it right and ask the customer to contact you directly to resolve the issue.
Can I incentivize customers to leave a review on online review sites?
It depends on the review site’s policy. Some sites may allow businesses to offer incentives for leaving a review, while others may prohibit it. It’s best to check the review site’s terms of service before offering any incentives.
Are online review sites only for businesses in the hospitality and travel industry?
No, online review sites are not only for businesses in the hospitality and travel industry. They can be used by businesses of all industries, such as retail, healthcare, and home services.
How can I improve my rating on online review sites?
To improve your rating on online reviews sites, you can focus on providing excellent customer service, responding to reviews in a timely manner, and addressing any issues that customers may have.
Can online review sites impact my search engine rankings?
Yes, online review sites can impact your search engine rankings. Positive reviews on reputable sites can improve your visibility and search engine optimization (SEO).
Are online review sites the only way for customers to leave feedback about my business?
No, online review sites are not the only way for customers to leave feedback about your business. Customers can also leave feedback on your business’s website, social media accounts, and direct email or phone calls.
Conclusion
It can be difficult for a business to determine which online review sites are most pertinent in the current atmosphere. No doubt, Yelp, Facebook and Google top the list of popular and powerful sites; nonetheless, never underestimate any niche websites that specialize in your industry!
